This invention relates to socket wrenches and more particularly to a socket wrench extension which is adapted to positively lock sockets in place on the extension.
Socket wrenches have become widely used in virtually every industry in the country. In its simplest form a socket wrench is an elongated device, commonly referred to as a drive, having one end adapted to receive a socket. Since the inception of the socket wrench, there have been a number of changes and improvements on this main idea. One such addition to the standard socket wrench was the development of extensions of various lengths. These extensions are placed between the socket and the wrench and allow the user to apply the socket to bolts or the like which, due to their location, would normally have been difficult to work on.
When the socket is attached directly to the drive, the combination is quite easy to manipulate. Due to the direct contact, one can apply a significant amount of downward pressure while working the wrench thus helping to maintain the socket on the bolt. Similarly, should the socket slip off of the bolt or if the socket disconnects from the drive, the close proximity of the drive to the socket makes it easy to reconnect the socket to either the drive or the bolt. With the advent of wrench extensions, the unintentional disconnecting of the socket from either the extension or the bolt became more frequent and their attachment more difficult. Attempts to solve this problem at least partially, by pinning the socket to the extension, proved to be time consuming and therefore not desirable. Also, where a pin is used, there is always the problem of its being lost or misplaced which is a common occurrence in an automotive garage.
The development of the present invention came out of my endeavors as both an auto mechanic and a race car driver. In both of these situations, one's success is ofttimes dependent upon the speed with which repairs can be performed without sacrificing quality. A number of factors go into the speed of repair such as experience and automotive knowledge. Nevertheless, I have found that the most effective way to speed repairs, either on or off the track, is through the development of more efficient tools.
One of the most frequently used tools in making automotive repairs is the socket wrench which is often used with an extension. The difficulties in using socket tools and extensions as described above have been experienced by virtually every mechanic in the automotive field. Personlly, I found that the difficulties encountered when working with socket extensions were so time consuming that I began welding some of the more commonly used sockets and extensions together. Of course, this only solved part of the problem and was also quite expensive since a separate extension was required for each socket.
With these things in mind I began working on the present invention. One of my objects being to develop an extension wherein the socket would positively lock onto the extension and not become separated unintentionally.
Another object of my invention was to provide an extension which was easier to hold in place while it is being rotated.
Another object of my invention was to have an extension wherein the socket could be released and removed with one hand.
Yet another object of my invention was to provide an extension wherein the socket could be mounted on the extension with one hand.
Still another object of this invention was to provide an extension wherein the socket would not only be released but would also be simultaneously urged off of the extension.
Another object of this invention was to provide an extension which was easy to disassemble for cleaning purposes.
Briefly described, the present invention is a socket extension having a shaft, an attachment located on one end of the shaft adapted to connect to the drive of a socket wrench, and a receiving member located on the other end of the shaft which is adapted for the connection of sockets. A control means mounted on the shaft is operatively connected to a detent within the receiving member. The control means operates to either release or positively lock the socket onto the receiving member by moving the detent partially outside of the receiving member or drawing it substantially within the receiving member. In one embodiment the control means also serves to initiate the removal of the socket while simultaneously releasing the socket.